Freewill
by Tim Nolan
Summary: A story dealing with the choice that Ranma never got to make.


Freewill. {1/1}  
  
  
A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by Tim Nolan.  
  
e-mail: nomad@cyberverse.com  
  
Ranma 1/2 and all characters are creations of   
and copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
Please see the notes following the story.  
  
  
***************************************************  
  
Freewill  
  
  
" I don't ever want to have anything to do with   
you again! As far as I'm concerned, the engagement is   
off!"  
The cry of rage shattered the tranquillity of an   
early Sunday morning. One of the doves settled on the   
roof of the dojo flew away from the disturbance since   
it had begun to understand what would come next.  
A young man in a red shirt and black pants went   
flying through the doors with a thunderous crash. His   
forward progress still unabated, he continued sailing   
down the covered walkway. If his guess was right, the   
next thing in his way would be one of the large rocks   
in the garden by the pond since the two missing support   
posts that would have been coming up on his left were   
not yet replaced. The rock would be easier to deal with   
than the scolding he would get from Nabiki for closing   
the door and letting Akane knock him through it again.   
Akane had been getting better since they had   
started sparring together on a more regular basis, but   
he still hadn't been able to figure out just where she   
was hiding the damn hammers. He'd rolled with the   
blow from the weapon to avoid being seriously hurt,   
but that meant he was off balance and would be knocked   
back a greater distance. She was still mad enough at   
him that she was hot on his trail in a blind rage.  
Talk about uncute, he remarked to himself while   
still in mid-air as he passed what he called the rock   
garden. It was a collection of a few dozen small,   
rough-edged boulders that ranged from the size of   
baseballs to watermelons, and they were strewn in a   
contemplative fashion among a patch of painstakingly   
groomed gravel. Very Zen, he thought when he had first   
arrived at the Tendo dojo.  
He began to frantically twist in mid-air as soon   
as the sound of the door reached him. It was too late   
for him to completely avoid Kasumi as she stepped out   
of the doorway into his path, but he was able to avoid   
crashing directly into her. His elbow sent the basket   
of wet laundry flying and startled her, but it was   
Akane's relentless pursuit that made her sister lose   
her balance.  
Ranma had seen what had happened. Akane was   
still oblivious to it. Her mind was focused only on   
her anger towards him and he didn't have the time to   
reason with her. His early training kicked in with   
a vengeance as his body reacted without conscious   
thought.  
It was like a nightmare in some ways. One of the   
really bad ones, actually, where each second is like an   
hour and all you can do is watch and scream as it   
unfolds. His legs came around and his feet got a firm   
purchase on the large rock by the pond. Akane began   
to jump up as the prelude for a flying side kick   
while her sister waved her arms around in a vain   
attempt to avoid the fall. All she was doing was   
delaying the inevitable.  
He bounced off the rock, changing the direction   
of his momentum. Akane's battle cry was cut short as   
his knee caromed off her head and she sprawled out on   
the ground with a dazed look on her face. Kasumi had   
just begun to fall when he landed behind her and   
wrapped his arms around her waist.  
Ranma sighed in relief as time seemed to speed up   
again and Kasumi began to tremble. She was very   
fortunate that she hadn't fallen. The distance wasn't   
much, but she would have been hurt badly by landing   
on top of several jagged edges.  
She seemed to realize it as well, for she turned   
in his arms and hugged him. He was about to feel   
embarrassed when he felt her shaking. Shock, he  
realized, recalling his medical training and tightened   
his arms around her to keep her from sliding to the   
ground. She'd be weak and unable to stand.  
Kasumi.   
Shock.  
His mind rebelled at the idea, unwilling to wrap   
itself around the inconceivable. She was the unflappable   
one, the one who seemed to be able to take everything in   
stride. Upon finding out that one of their guests was a   
panda on occasion, she had merely whipped together some   
steamed bamboo for Pop's dinner like it happened   
everyday. Nothing ever seemed to bother the oldest of   
the Tendo sisters.  
" Kasumi," he whispered as he began to feel   
genuinely worried. Akane's punch caught him completely   
off guard and knocked him to the ground. Everything went   
a little fuzzy for the next several minutes due to the   
blow to the back of his head. He did vaguely remember   
Akane yelling at him for most of it before stomping away.  
The all-too familiar splash of cold water brought   
her to her senses as she realized that she was now   
female. Kasumi was kneeling over her, and she looked   
both apologetic and worried at the same time.  
" I'm sorry, Ranma-chan," she said as she looked   
at her. " I started to worry when you weren't hearing   
me, so I got some water. I... I forgot that you would   
change."  
" That's all right, but did you have to use the   
water from the pond?" she complained good-naturedly   
while making a face at the taste of the water. She   
could see the ghost of Kasumi's usual smile on her   
lips. Her face was slightly pale and she was still   
breathing a little rapidly, but she seemed to be all   
right. A feeling of relief washed over her and she   
smiled.  
The older girl saw the redhead smiling and began   
to giggle. She joined in a moment later at the look on   
Kasumi's face. They stayed that way for a few minutes,   
laughing together, and each time one began to calm down   
they would look at the other and start up again.  
" Ranma-chan," she eventually forced the words   
out. " Are you hurt?"  
" No," she replied, rubbing the back of her   
head. " I get worse from Pops most of the time. She   
caught me by surprise, though. I was worried that you   
were hurt and wasn't paying attention to what she was   
doing."  
" Thank you," she responded. " That was very   
sweet of you."  
" Kasumi, didn't your father ever teach you how   
to fall?"  
" I'm sorry?"  
" Fall," she repeated. " Like in falling down.   
I mean, I know that Akane was the one who was into   
learning the art, but didn't he even teach you how   
to fall down properly?"  
" No," she said, getting a bit distant. " I was   
always with Mother during the day and wanted to be   
like her, so Father never tried training me."  
Baka, she yelled at herself. You shouldn't   
remind her of that. " I'm sorry, Kasumi. I didn't   
mean to bring up any bad memories. How about I show   
you the basics, then?"  
" But-"  
" No buts," she interrupted, stood and began   
to gather up the laundry. Ranma then unleashed one   
of her best, sincere smiles. This girl body had some   
uses, after all. " I'll help you with this so you'll   
have the time."  
" Ranma-chan, I... all right," she sighed and   
gave in.   
" Great!" she said and carried the basket   
through the kitchen. She set it down in the laundry   
room and made a beeline for one of mankind's greatest   
and most useful inventions. Well, that's what she   
thought of the new spigot on the sink that dispensed   
near-boiling water. It was hot enough to cause the   
change as long as you didn't let it cool off for more   
than a few minutes. Nabiki saw the first gas bill   
reflecting the new living arrangements and had   
promptly bought the expensive fixture.  
" That's a lot better," he said after dunking   
his head under the stream of steaming hot water. He'd   
gotten awfully tolerant of hot temperatures recently.  
" Here's a note from Akane," Kasumi called out   
while he toweled off his hair and wrung out his   
shirt. " She's gone over to one of her friends for   
the night."  
" She's pretty mad at me, I guess," he sheepishly   
admitted. " I didn't mean it that way. All I did-"  
" Ranma," she gently cut him off. " I'll finish   
putting these back in the wash and get changed. Why   
don't you go down to the dojo and relax for a few   
minutes? We can talk about it then."   
  
********************************************************  
  
He was surprised when she came in about fifteen   
minutes later in a gi with a white belt. It fit too   
well to be one of the basic uniforms that Kasumi made   
in a few sizes and were sold to the students. Those   
were always too large or too small for any given   
individual.  
She stopped in the doorway and respectfully   
bowed before entering the dojo. She did the same   
before stepping onto the mat.  
" Where did that come from?" he blurted out,   
and then recovered his composure, got back into his   
teacher mode and bowed to her. " I mean, did you have   
one of your own?"   
" Yes, I made ones for Nabiki and myself when   
I made the first batch for the students. I figured   
that if our fathers were going to start training   
students again that we all should have them if the   
need arises."  
" That was a good idea," he admitted and sat   
down to begin stretching. She sat as well but merely   
crossed her legs and looked at him.  
" What were you fighting about today, Ranma?"   
she asked.  
He sighed deeply before answering. " This was   
a really bad one. I said that she'd put on some   
weight. I meant it in a good way, Kasumi. She's   
been working out more and trying to get stronger,   
and I wanted to let her know that she was making   
some progress.  
" She took it wrong, and it went downhill from   
there. Then it got way out of hand while we were   
sparring and... well, you saw the rest."  
" That would explain why she was so mad," she   
said while watching him. " I called her at the   
Nakatoni's. Akane is going to spend the night there.   
It's all right with Sachiko's parents."  
" Our parents are gonna' kill me," Ranma   
groaned, put his head in his hands and closed his eyes.   
Their fathers would go through the roof at this news.   
Neither man was thrilled when anything might disrupt   
the planned marriage between Akane and Ranma.  
" Kasumi?" he asked a few minutes later.  
" Yes, Ranma?"  
" Why do we have so many problems? I think   
Akane likes me, and I think I like her. We get   
along so well one moment and the next thing I know   
we're arguing."  
" I'm not sure," the brunette replied. " She   
has said that she doesn't like the pressure that   
both of you are under."  
" I certainly know that feeling," he nodded and   
grimaced. " I think it would have been better if our   
fathers hadn't engaged us. They want us to like   
each other so much that they try to push us together,   
and then we tend to push each other away."   
" That's a very honest admission, Ranma.   
Especially as you did say yesterday that you didn't   
like her."  
His eyes flew to her face in surprise until he   
figured out that she was gently teasing him about   
yesterday's argument with his fiancee. She has such   
a pretty smile, he realized with a flush of   
embarrassment. It was so much like Akane's. Then   
his startled mind tried to figure out just where   
the hell that observation came from.   
" What do you want me to do first, sensei?" she   
asked, reminding him of why she was here in the first   
place.  
" Um, lie down like this," he began while   
demonstrating and carefully trying to keep his mind   
on the matter at hand.  
  
***************************************************  
  
She stepped into the enticingly warm water   
and let it take away the chill from the stream of   
cold water she had been standing under. He shuddered   
as the change occurred. Even after about three months   
he still wasn't used to it.  
He had used the cold water rinse to cool him   
off in more ways then one. This had certainly been a   
strange day for him. Their fathers were away for a   
meeting with several other dojos in the area to   
generate some goodwill and establish some ties. The   
school of Indiscriminate Grappling was a small one   
and they didn't want to unduly antagonize any of the   
other schools in the area, regardless of style.   
His own easy victory over one of the local Kempo   
instructors at an informal competition last week hadn't   
helped matters in that regard, but it had brought in   
some badly needed students for the dojo. His father and   
Mr. Tendo now had two small classes they taught during   
the day along with one three nights a week. Most of   
the students would learn only the basics, but there   
was still the chance of finding an apt pupil who could   
learn the more advanced techniques.  
Nabiki had left early in the day to go shopping   
with some of her friends. At least that was what she   
had told her father. Privately, he thought she was out   
making her rounds. The middle sister had a bewildering   
array of connections and contacts, and she was careful   
not to let the web fall apart. That meant a lot of   
time just checking up on people and keeping her face   
fresh in their minds.   
Take the family that Akane was currently   
staying the night with, for example. She had been   
friends with Sachiko for several years now. Even   
though they weren't close, Akane had taken the time   
to show her some things she could do if any guy tried   
to get too fresh with her. The lessons paid off when   
some old pervert tried to steal her purse.   
Sachiko had put up so much of a fight that he   
had been delayed to where the police had been able to   
arrest him. The girl's father was so grateful that   
Nabiki had been able to parlay it into a deal with   
the lumberyard he owned for a break on the price of   
repairs at the dojo in exchange for continued lessons   
for his daughter.  
With Akane gone, that left only he and Kasumi   
in the house. She was the reason that he had taken   
the cold shower. She had always been like the sister   
that he never had. Until today, that's how he'd thought   
of her. A sister, or perhaps a surrogate mother since   
he would probably never see his own mother again.   
His perception of her had drastically changed   
while he was teaching her today in the dojo. She was   
certainly pretty, but it was like he had noticed her   
beauty for the first time today. He caught himself   
staring at her more than once and was relieved that   
she hadn't seen him doing it.  
If only Akane was more like her, he sighed. Why   
couldn't she be more understanding and patient? He   
didn't mean to hurt Akane, but she could make him   
so angry at times that he wouldn't be thinking   
straight.  
His being so impulsive didn't help at first.   
It came with being on the road so much, he guessed.   
He and his father had not been home for so long that   
he almost didn't remember his own mother's face. Pops   
has never been too much on manners, so he always had   
the tendency to do or say the first thing that came   
to mind.   
To make matters worse, the training in the art   
teaches one to do much the same thing at first. He'd   
been trained to react without thinking in some   
situations. Certain reactions had to be so fast as to   
be instinctive.  
Ever since his father had started showing him   
the advanced stuff a few years ago, he had wondered   
about the contradictions between his early training   
and the newer techniques. He often asked his father   
about it, usually right after being knocked down when   
the older man took advantage of a pattern in his   
defenses.   
Ranma, my boy, he'd bark as he stood over the   
fallen boy who was dragging himself to his feet again.   
You've got to think before you react. A true martial   
artist is guided by his brain, not by his fists. Your   
training up until now was to teach your body how to   
react properly. Now you need to teach your mind to   
control the process.   
He was trying, he knew. He had done a good job   
of thinking first most of the times, but he also had   
several failures. And, like the one today, the failures   
seemed to have disastrous consequences. His mind knew   
that he should have simply dodged Akane's attack and   
caught her sister.   
His instincts had treated her like an attacker.   
It was not the right way to behave towards your fiancee,   
he knew.   
The door to the bathing area slid open and Kasumi   
stepped in. She was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped   
around her midsection. The long hair that was usually   
tied back with a ribbon was unbound.  
" Oh!" she softly exclaimed, a faint blush appearing  
on her cheeks. " I'm sorry, Ranma. I thought I heard you   
upstairs, so I assumed that you were finished here."  
" I... was just about to get out," he began,   
realizing the time. He had been in here a while and she   
would want a chance to get cleaned up as well. It was   
warm enough outside to have made them need a bath after   
training.  
" Thank you," she beamed at him and took a seat   
on one of the bathing stools so that she was facing away   
from him into a corner. " It'll take me a few minutes to   
put my hair up, anyway."  
" Okay," he managed to say. To his shame and dismay,   
part of him had begun to react to him seeing his fiancee's   
sister in such a state of relative undress. The hot water   
wasn't helping matters either, and he had left his towel   
by the entrance.   
Normally, he was far from being modest. People   
still went to the public baths together, and the Japanese   
never had much of a taboo about nudity in the bath, but   
the thought of her seeing him like this mortified him. The   
towel was about ten steps away and would put him into   
her line of sight due to a small mirror on one wall she   
was using. That way was out. He had just about began to   
panic when he saw his hated salvation.   
He slipped from the tub while furiously blushing   
and covering himself. Two long, quick steps and he cranked   
the cold water on. The spray from the shower did what   
he expected and he sighed in relief as he changed.  
" I'm going into the market district to scrounge   
up some snacks," she gamely offered up as an excuse. " My   
girl body is great for that."  
" Could you hold on about fifteen minutes,   
Ranma-chan?" she asked as she turned her head   
slightly. " I need a few things from the store for dinner   
tonight. I'll make you a list of what I need."  
" Sure," she replied as she wrapped her towel around   
her and slid open the door.   
" Oh, and one other thing," Kasumi called out from   
the other side of the door, causing her knees to get weak.   
Oh, gods, she thought in fear. She'd seen him when he was   
getting out of the tub.  
" Would you like some help with your make-up? I know   
that you're still not used to putting it on yet."  
  
****************************************************   
  
" Hey, Pops," he asked the man seated next to   
him in the dojo while they stretched in preparation for   
their evening workout. " I... I was wondering..."  
" Don't be shy, boy!" the older man barked and   
slapped him on the back. " Go and talk to her. You'll   
never get back into Akane's favor if you keep on   
ignoring her."  
" Uh, thanks for the advice, Pops," he stammered.   
Trust his father to have a one-track mind about the   
subject. " That wasn't it, though. I was hoping that   
we could skip practice tonight. I've still got to   
finish an important report for school tomorrow."  
" Ranma, the path of a true martial-"   
" -artist still needs to go through high school,   
Pops," he cut off his father as gently as he could. " You   
did want me to make it through school, right?"  
" All right, boy," his father consented. " Just   
promise me that you will try and talk to Akane about   
this."  
" You got it," he said, forcing himself to sound   
more enthusiastic. He stood and sketched a short bow   
to his father before leaving and heading for the stairs.   
It was only a small lie. He did have a report due   
tomorrow, but it was long since done.   
It was Thursday and his mind had been in a   
turmoil since Sunday afternoon. Akane had returned,   
and while she was still mad at him, she was getting   
over it. His excuse of being upset about their fight   
to explain his recent behavior was wearing thin. He   
took a deep breath to calm himself down as he reached   
the top of the stairs.   
On one side was the room he shared with his   
father and after that the master bedroom where Mr.   
Tendo slept. The other side had three doors. The first   
one led to the source of his recent problems. Right now,   
that wasn't the place to be.  
He walked past the one in the middle and glanced   
at the duck on the door. She'd kill him right now if   
he admitted what was happening. In her opinion, he had   
hit her a lot harder than training called for. That   
part was true, he had realized. He tried to explain   
what had happened, but she still didn't recall bumping   
into her sister.  
No, the third door was the one that offered him   
the hope of some degree of peace and comfort right   
now. He knocked at the door and entered when she   
called out for him to do so.  
" Hello, Ranma," Nabiki said as she worked at   
her computer. She finished inputting a few more   
lines before hitting the enter key with a theatrical   
flourish and turned towards him. " I've been forgetting   
to tell you something. You've been a big help around   
here lately, and I wanted to thank you."  
" Me?"  
" Yes, you," she smiled and motioned for him to   
take her seat while she moved to the bed. She pointed   
at the computer terminal. " See that there? Our bottom   
line is looking a lot better since you came here."  
He looked, but the jumble of figures was a mystery   
to him and he said so.  
" In simpler terms," she went on after giving   
him a warm smile. " We aren't losing nearly as much   
money now. We might even start turning a profit."  
" The dojo?"  
" Yes, the dojo, and you. Several guys have   
asked about you while I was accepting and processing   
their payments for lessons. They either want to study   
the style of the boy who beat up that Kempo master or   
they hope to run into Ranma-chan."  
" My girl body," he growled softly and then   
relaxed. He did have a good body as a girl, after   
all, but that kind of attention from other guys was   
still unnerving. " So that's why you wanted me to   
go to some of the training classes as a girl."  
" Some classes, Ranma," she explained. " Not   
all of them, just enough to keep them coming back.   
That has been a big help, and those fights with Kuno   
have made a lot of my old accounts decide to settle   
up, too."  
" I though you gave up the loansharking," he   
commented, trying to make his voice as dry and   
sarcastic as she could at times. She looked down   
briefly at that jab before meeting his gaze again. He'd   
hit close to home with that remark.  
" I have, Ranma. One month of amnesty from   
interest where they could pay back the original   
amount and much more reasonable rates thereafter.   
That talk that we had along with Akane after the   
photography incident really opened my eyes. I hadn't   
realized just what I was doing to some of my   
classmates and to some of my friends.  
" And to some of my family," she added   
softly.  
He nodded in agreement and suddenly looked   
down, embarrassed. " That's kind of what I wanted   
to talk to you about, Nabiki. This isn't business   
or anything, though, but I'm kind of hoping that   
you could help me on something about your family."  
" I'm all ears, Ranma," she said to   
him. " What's up?"  
" I'm not good at this stuff," he started   
after a few minutes of composing his thoughts. He   
still hadn't looked up at her, keeping his eyes   
locked onto the floor. " I never had a lot of friends   
on the road, and I haven't made any yet here at   
school. At least not the close ones that I could   
talk to about this.   
" It's been keeping me up at nights, and I   
can't concentrate during the day. I think... I   
think I'm falling in love with your sister."  
" Ranma, that's great," she exclaimed with   
a mischievous grin. " So, you need a loan for an   
engagement ring for Akane after all."  
She was about to say more when he raised his   
hand to stop her. His eyes slowly came up to meet   
hers and she saw the bleak look on his face. " Your   
other sister."  
" Oh, my," Nabiki sighed and was silent for   
a few minutes. Ranma had gone back to looking at   
the floor but occasionally glanced up at her. " I   
guess that's why you've been helping her out with   
fixing dinner the last few nights then?"  
" Yeah," he admitted. " I've just wanted to   
be near her lately."  
" Since the fight with Akane?"  
Ranma sighed and looked guilty at that   
remark. " It sounds pretty rotten of me, huh? I   
get in a fight with Akane, we have some words and   
I go running to her sister. You have got to believe   
me, Nabiki, in that I'm not doing this to hurt Akane."  
She could plainly see the confusion and pain   
that he was feeling right now. Even though they   
didn't realize it, she knew that both her younger   
sister and her fiancee were in almost in love with   
each other. Their refusal to admit it was going to   
be their stumbling block, and not the fact that   
they didn't care for each other.   
Ranma was telling the truth, she believed.   
Sure, he was often blunt with Akane, but that was   
only because he didn't want to say what he actually   
felt towards her. He had never been spiteful, so   
this wasn't an attempt to get back at Akane. That   
meant that his feelings for her older sister were   
genuine.  
" Do you think that this is the real thing,   
Ranma?" she asked. She didn't doubt him or what she   
felt he was thinking, but this problem had to be   
clearly defined and resolved before anyone was hurt,   
regardless of which way things went. " Do you feel   
that you're in love with Kasumi?"   
" I don't know, Nabiki," he confessed. " I don't   
even know if I love... or if I loved Akane. All I   
know is that I feel good when I'm around Kasumi. I   
feel like that about Akane, too, but only when we   
aren't fighting, and that seems to be all we're doing   
lately."  
" You'd better talk to her then," she decided   
and hating herself for doing this to her sister. She   
would have to pass the responsibility of dealing   
with this on to Kasumi, and Kasumi was doing so   
much already. " She's up early on Saturday. Why   
don't you get up then, talk to her and see what   
she thinks?"  
" I guess," he said and stood before going   
on with a more resolute tone to his voice. " I   
don't want to hurt Akane, and she will be if I let   
this drag on."  
" Thank you," she replied, her voice   
softening slightly. " Thank you for caring about   
her, Ranma."  
He gave her a slight nod and turned. He was   
almost to the door when she called out his name   
again.   
" It will be tough on everyone if you don't   
want to marry Akane," she added in a compassionate   
tone. " I know that our fathers won't be happy   
about it at first and that they'll be very upset.   
The important thing, though, is that you do what   
you feel is the right thing. I'll support your   
decision, Ranma. No matter what it is."  
He brushed away a tear that was threatening   
to form in one of his eyes. " Thanks, oneesan. Thank   
you for understanding."  
Ranma turned and left, closing the door behind   
him.   
  
***************************************************   
  
The actual sun would just be coming over the   
horizon soon, although they still wouldn't see it   
for a while due to the walls surrounding the dojo.   
It did make the sky turn to a lighter blue that was   
shaded towards a golden-pink in the east as he   
stepped out of the kitchen with a cup of tea   
warming his hands.   
She wasn't there when he entered, although   
there was a pot of freshly brewed tea on the stove   
that he had helped himself to a cup of. The hot   
liquid did wonders towards setting him at ease.   
Right now, he could use about a gallon of it.  
His ears couldn't pick out anyone moving   
downstairs, so he walked to the dojo, more out   
of a force of habit than any real hope of finding   
her here. A quick glance told him that she wasn't   
there, either, so he went back along the walkway   
towards the house.   
It was only when he heard a tiny splash in   
the pond that he realized that she was sitting on   
one of the rocks by the pond. She was so still that   
he hadn't noticed her. A small bag of the pellets   
they fed the koi lay next to her by a steaming mug.   
The sound of one of the fish fighting for a pellet   
was what had tipped him off to her presence.   
" I like the early morning just before   
sunrise the most," Kasumi said softly from her   
perch. She took a small sip of her tea. " It   
makes you think of all the promise that the   
coming day can hold."  
He walked over and sat near her. Not too   
close to intrude, but comfortably near.  
" Are you all right, Ranma?" she   
solicitously asked. " How did you sleep?"  
" Not well," he admitted. " I've been awake   
since about three."   
" Is there anything that I can help you with?"  
He took a deep breath and slowly released   
it. " Yes. There is, but I'm so tired and wound up   
right now that I probably won't do a good job of   
saying it."  
" That's all right, Ranma," she said. " I know   
that you mean well and that it's usually just a   
problem with how you say it. Why don't you let me   
know what's bothering you?"  
" No," he sighed and looked at her until   
he caught her eye. " I have to say this right,   
Kasumi. This has to be perfectly clear. Do you   
remember when we first met?"  
She nodded and he continued. " Your father   
and mine had made an agreement. I would marry one   
of his daughters and carry on the dojo. You and   
Nabiki sort of volunteered Akane for the job and   
things went from there.  
" The thing is," he went on after taking a   
breath. " I never made my choice."   
" Ranma..." she said in a voice low and   
wavering with emotion. Her next words were barely   
a whisper. " Please, don't do this."  
He went on, seemingly mindless of her   
plea. " Kasumi, what would you say if I decided   
that you were the one that I wanted to marry?"   
" I'd," she began, and he could clearly see   
tears beginning to form in her eyes. " I'd honor   
my father's wishes, Ranma."  
He sighed in relief, moved over to sit   
right next to her and put an arm around her   
shoulders to comfort her.   
" I'm sorry I had to do this to you, Kasumi,   
but I needed to hear you say it so I could finally   
make up my mind. I think I've been falling in love   
with you recently and I just couldn't let this go   
on anymore. The one I want to marry is..."  
She glanced over at him when his voice trailed   
off and saw the effort it took for him to try and say   
the next words. " I... I don't know. It isn't you,   
though, Kasumi."   
" Oh, Ranma," she giggled, feeling the pain   
lift away. The years of carefully controlling her   
expressions let her hide the pleased smile that was   
threatening to break out on her face.  
He didn't want to admit it, but his not   
choosing actually was a choice. Ranma wasn't   
close with Nabiki, she knew, and if he wasn't   
choosing her, the process of elimination left   
only one other choice for him. She had been   
worried about them lately because they had been   
fighting so much, and here he was doing much of   
the work that she thought that she would have to   
do in order to get them to understand what they   
felt towards each other.  
Still, she should have known better. They   
had been fighting, but ever since the day that   
Akane cut her hair a few weeks ago, they had   
seemed to more aware of the other's feelings.  
He chuckled and gave her an affectionate   
squeeze before letting go and turning to slightly   
face her. " I'm sorry to have asked you that, but   
I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since   
Sunday. I wasn't even sure if I did want to stay   
engaged to Akane. When I asked you and you said yes,   
it finally hit me. I was finally able to understand   
what was happening to me. I'd become infatuated with   
you, Kasumi."  
" You had a crush on me?"  
" Yeah," he replied and blushed a deep   
red. " I heard that 'but' when you said yes to me and   
I realized the truth. I know there's a certain someone   
with some strong feelings for you, and I know that I'm   
not the one. You care for him as well, I assume?"  
" You know about Tofu-sensei?" she asked and   
her cheeks turned an even brighter shade of red.  
" He seems to be a good guy, except that he   
gets a little crazy whenever you come around the   
clinic."   
" He's perfectly fine if it's a professional   
matter," she explained, coming to her sweetheart's   
defense. " Otherwise, it just takes him a few minutes   
to calm down until he's himself again."  
" I hope that you two will be happy together,"   
Ranma said with a thoughtful look on his face. He   
stood and helped her to her feet. " Wanna' make a   
deal?"  
" All right," she replied.  
" This stays between us," he said. " It   
would only hurt Akane and give our fathers some   
more silly ideas. Deal?"  
" What's in it for me?" she asked, teasing   
him for a moment. He pretended to look hurt for   
a moment.  
" Oneesan-," he began.   
" Deal," she quickly cut him off and held   
out her hand with the pinky extended. His calling   
her oneesan was good enough for her right now. It   
would be sister in law before too long, she now   
understood.  
" Deal," he answered, hooking his around   
hers. " Again, I'm sorry about putting you through   
all of this."  
" That's all right, Ranma," she smiled in   
response. " I think it was best to have gotten   
this out into the open before it became too much   
of a problem."  
" You know," he added as they turned and   
began to walk towards the kitchen. " I think   
you're right. Want some help in the kitchen,   
but for the right reasons this time?"  
  
  
The End.   
  
  
  
Author's notes.  
1. This is set shortly after the first appearance  
of Ryoga. The Saotomes have been at the Tendo's  
for about two months.  
2. A few Japanese terms are used in this story.   
1. oneesan - older sister  
2. Ranma-chan is used to refer to Ranma in his   
female form.   
  
  
Special thanks go to...  
  
  
Rumiko Takahashi, of course  
  
Luna and Artemis for kind words, support, and being   
good friends.  
check out their page at  
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9897/  
for the best Sailor Moon fan-fiction collection.  
  
Chris Davies for inspiration.  
check out his page at  
http://www/ualberta.ca/~cdavies/hmpage.html  
  
Amanda Anderson  
and   
Andrea Lam for being test readers extraordinaire.   
  
  
  
Without all their help, this would not be   
nearly as good as it is.  
  
  
  
  
  
end. Freewill. {1/1} 


End file.
